昨日[きのう]、空[あ]き家[や]管理士[かんりし]の記事[きじ](= article)をここで読みました。I read an interesting article here about managing vacant houses yesterday.
この新聞[しんぶん]によると、現在[げんさい]日本では、約[やく]820万[まん]戸[こ](Note: 戸 is the counter for houses)の家[いえ]が空[あ]き家[や]なんだそうです。これは、人口[じんこう](= popilatioin)減少[げんしょう](= decrease)と、社会[しゃかい](= society)の高齢化[こうれいか](= aging)が原因[げんいん](= cause)です。
家に長い間[あいだ]誰[だれ]も住まないのは、家にとってよくありません。そこで、新[あたら]しい職業[しょくぎょう](= occupation)が生まれました、空[あ]き家[や](= vacant house)管理士[かんりし](= manager)です。今や、試験[しけん](= exam)があって、この試験に合格[ごうかく]すると空き家管理士の資格[しかく](= qualification)がもらえるそうです。現在[げんざい]日本には、500人ほどの空き家管理士がいるそうです。
According to this newspaper, around 8.2 millions houses are vacant in Japan. This is the result of population decrease and society aging.
As you know, any houses should not be left with nobody living in for a long time. Japan has got vacant houses more and more; then the new occupation was born, a manager of vacant houses. Apparently, there is the exam you can take and if you pass it, you obtain the qualification for managing vacant houses. At the moment, Japan has about 500 qualified managers.
Ponkichi says:
I’ve never heard of there being such an occupation as a manager of vacant house! However considering that rural areas suffer from depopulation, it may be a good idea to have someone manage uninhabited houses.
Fumiko Nishimura says:
I did not know such an occupation either! But I heard of the issues of vacant houses and this would be a sort of predicted way forward, perhaps…